Grade It’s always fun learning with LEGO! In this STEM lesson plan for elementary schoolers you’ll experiment with LEGO as you learn about important women in STEM, ultimately designing your own 3D LEGO scientist.
Resources in This Lesson
Resource 1
Learn while playing with LEGO for this fun experiment. We’re covering translations, rotations, and reflections as we use LEGO to make our own Tetris Puzzle.
Rosie Recommends LEGO Activites!
https://handsonstem.rosieriveters.com/resources/rosie-recommends-lego-activites/
Resource 2
For our book, we’re reading The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes, which tells the journey of Dr. Patricia Bath and her many contributions to STEM.
Rosie Reads The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes
https://handsonstem.rosieriveters.com/resources/rosie-reads-the-doctor-with-an-eye-for-eyes/
Resource 3
Develop some new 3D imaging skills. For this project we’re using the free online program “Mecabricks” to design our very own woman in STEM LEGO.
Rosie Makes Women in STEM LEGO
https://handsonstem.rosieriveters.com/resources/rosie-makes-women-in-stem-lego/
Resource 4
Continue learning and exploring with some of these tried and tested Rosie Recommends activities from other STEM educational resources.
Rosie Recommends LEGO Activites!
https://handsonstem.rosieriveters.com/resources/rosie-recommends-lego-activites/
In this episode of Rosie Reads we’re learning about Dr. Patricia Bath in the book The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes: The Story of Dr. Patricia Bath by Julia Finley Mosca. Dr. Bath was the first African-American female doctor to earn a medical patent in the United States. She’s definitely on our list of #STEMinists to admire! In this book, we’ll discover more about Dr. Bath and her work developing a new medical discipline (community ophthalmology), founding the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, and developing the Laserphaco Probe for cataract removal.
While reading The Doctor with an Eye for Eyes, ask kids these comprehension questions:
- What toy inspired Bath’s career as a doctor?
- How did Bath’s gender and race impact her education and career?
- What has changed since the 1950s-1980s and what hasn’t?
For our Rosie Reads activity, dive into more STEMinist stories! Ask your kids to name some other inventions by women. This will likely be tough, and there’s ton of reasons for it (gender discrimination, racial discrimination, lack of access to STEM fields, lack of recognition in STEM fields, appropriation of ideas, etc.).
Talk about these barriers with your kids, and watch this eye opening video by Microsoft. End the activity by researching more women inventors and the things they created.
In this Rosie Makes we’re using the online program “Mecabricks”. This is a 3D imaging software that will allow us to imagine and design our own Women in STEM LEGO!
Ready to make Women in STEM LEGO at home or in your classroom? Watch the video for an overview, gather the materials listed to the right, and follow the instructions below.
Watch The Video
https://youtu.be/pa6WS88nn3k
Required Materials
- computer
- internet access
- paper
- pen, pencil, or other writing tools
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1
Check with an adult before starting this project!
Step 2
Use the internet to research women in STEM. Make sure to check multiple sources, dive deeper into terms you don’t know, identify a main aspect of the woman you’re researching, and search what others have made.
Step 3
Once you’ve chosen a women to design, sketch out your idea using paper and a pencil! You’ll want to sketch out your person and an object that represents them.
Step 4
Head over to Mecabricks (link here) and start creating.
Step 5
If you need help learning how to use Mecabricks watch some of the tutorials on their YouTube page (link here).
Step 6
When you’re finished you can publish your idea on LEGO Ideas (link here).
Check out these tried and tested LEGO activities for you to explore!
Recommended Resources
Resource 1
LEGO Challenge: Machines + Paper
Cant get enough LEGO? Embrace your artistic side and build the above paper crimper and circle-drawing machine. If you accomplish these two fun builds, explore your design side and see if you can make something completely new. You can keep your creativity going by trying out these free LEGO challenge cards. You can also focus on building famous landmarks with this activity.
Resource 2
Want to combine the feel of LEGO with some fun geometry? Try out these seven-piece geometric puzzles. These are great for younger friends. Create your own set of anagrams and find some challenging puzzles to solve here. You can even make a heart for Valentine’s Day!